WHO Starts Enrollment in Trial of Bundibugyo Ebola Treatments

Researchers have begun enrolling patients in a WHO-sponsored trial testing potential treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease during an active outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Enrollment in the PARTNERS trial began July 2, 2026, according to the World Health Organization. The randomized, controlled, adaptive platform trial is evaluating the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir, including whether using the two medicines together improves outcomes.

Both medicines remain investigational for Bundibugyo virus disease. Enrollment does not show that either treatment is effective, approved or suitable for patients outside the study.

How the trial works

PARTNERS may enroll patients of any age with confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease. Participants are assigned under the study protocol to treatment groups that include MBP134, remdesivir or the combination, while receiving supportive care.

That care can include oral or intravenous fluids, electrolyte replacement, oxygen support, blood-pressure management and pain control in line with WHO treatment guidance. WHO said the study data will be reviewed regularly by an independent data and safety monitoring board.

WHO is sponsoring the trial. Coordination is being led by the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium and the University of Oxford. The DRC Ministry of Public Health, Africa CDC, ALIMA, Médecins Sans Frontières and other response partners are also involved.

Why the research is happening during the outbreak

Bundibugyo virus disease is a distinct Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus. WHO said no treatment is currently approved specifically for it, no approved vaccine is available, and no treatment has been shown to work across all Ebola virus types.

The trial is designed to generate evidence while emergency care is being delivered. WHO said the two medicines were selected after a review of scientific evidence, including preclinical research, safety data and experience from earlier outbreak responses. That background does not establish that either medicine works against Bundibugyo virus.

The practical test will be whether the trial can measure differences in patient outcomes while maintaining supportive care and close follow-up. WHO said participants will receive follow-up for at least 28 days after enrollment.

The outbreak remains centered in Congo

WHO’s Disease Outbreak News update published July 17 reported 2,124 confirmed cases and 828 deaths in the DRC as of July 15. It said cases had been reported in 46 health zones across five provinces, with 38 health zones still active because they had reported cases within the previous 21 days. WHO also reported 119 confirmed infections among health workers, including 36 deaths.

WHO cautioned that some newly reported cases and deaths could reflect backlogs in samples and reporting, rather than infections or deaths that occurred during the same period. The outbreak is unfolding in a conflict-affected humanitarian setting where insecurity, displacement and limited access to health care complicate surveillance and treatment.

A WHO regional situation report using data through July 19 said transmission remained intense in the DRC and that the outbreak’s geographic footprint continued to expand. The same report said no new cases or secondary transmission had been reported in Uganda or France during that reporting period.

Uganda’s improving status is regional context, not a change in the main outbreak. In its July 17 update, WHO said Uganda had begun the 42-day enhanced-surveillance period after its most recent case was discharged. WHO assessed the risk as very high in the DRC, high in Uganda and countries sharing land borders with affected countries, and low globally.

What to watch next

The next meaningful milestones are enrollment progress, safety reviews, interim analyses and eventual outcome data. Those findings—not recruitment alone—will determine whether MBP134, remdesivir or the combination merits a formal recommendation or further regulatory consideration.

For people in the affected region, the immediate public-health priorities remain early diagnosis, infection prevention and control, contact tracing, supportive care and access to treatment. For readers outside the region, the trial is a research milestone during an emergency, not the approval of a new Ebola treatment or general medical guidance.

Sources

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